 Hey Mafia Miracle Makers! I hope your Turkey Day was stuffed with joy, laughter, and a plate that needed two hands to carry. I have been doing a whole lot of reflecting this week because honestly… this year has felt like one giant trust fall into God’s arms. And I am grateful He keeps catching me. So, can I tell you the five things I am especially thankful for this year? But first...just in case you are new to the mission of Move-In Day Mafia... You should know, we are a "mob" of volunteers who move in and deck out door rooms of HBCU students who have aged out of foster care. Plus, we take care of them for four years with monthly care packages. You can check out our work at MoveInDayMafia.org Now...my gratitude list... 1) I am thankful that I GET to lead Move-In Day Mafia, even when I am afraid and feel unqualified Because the assignment is bigger than my comfort. And y'all remind me that obedience is where miracles hide. 2) I am thankful for every Mafia Miracle Maker who believes in the mission You show up like family. Not fans. FAMILY. The kind that rolls up sleeves and makes sure no scholar feels alone. 3) I am thankful for my team that covers me and is patient as I grow into leadership They watch me wobble sometimes… and still cheer like I stuck the landing. 4) I am thankful for our corporate partners who don't just invest in Mafia financially but also put boots on the ground They do not just sign checks. They show up in dorm rooms with drills, shelves, and work gloves. That is partnership. 5) I am thankful for our scholars Their perseverance. Their grit. Their dreams. They are why my feet hit the floor every morning, determined to keep going. They make it all worth it. London Calling Speaking of miracles… Before I was ever “Founder TeeJ,” I was just a woman with a wild idea from God and zero nonprofit experience. Amber has been the wind beneath my wings from the very beginning. She brought the corporate strategy, the structure, the language, the wisdom… all the things that helped Mafia go from “dream in my heart” to “miracles in motion.” So when she asked me to officiate her wedding… in London… I held the phone like, "What in dee entire hell? Do you know me? What in the world have I done that you would want ME to be your officiant? I don't know how she got her hubby-to-be, Alex, on board, but he is down for this crazy idea, too. Laaaaawed…they want me??? Everybody I've told...their first response...THEY BUST OUT LAUGHING...IN MY FACE! For six months, I have been texting Amber like, “Hey, just checking if y'all have come to your senses yet.” Apparently… they have not, cuz at the time of writing this, my mom and I are on this 8-hour flight to London Heathrow. So here we go. And no, I am not practicing with a British accent. But I might say “cheerio” if the anointing falls. 😜 A Walking Miracle Named Weez Mafia Miracle Maker, yesterday, I had literally just told my graphic artist, Lorraine, “I do not know what I am supposed to write for Friday,” when my phone rang. It was my friend, Weez of over 30 years from Howard. My ace. My day one. And a HUGE champion of not just Move-In Day Mafia, but of me...period.  Weez tells me she went to the doctor, and they thought she had kidney disease. But the Holy Spirit whispered to her, “No.” So she pushed for more testing. And because she pushed, they discovered a rare condition that I can't even pronounce...that only 1 percent of the population has. 1%! And! They told her they usually only find during autopsies! And yet...they found it because the Holy Spirit told her to insist on more testing! Thank you Jesus...My friend is going to be alright! Her anesthesiologist asked her “Who are you that God loves you this much for us to catch this in time?” My friend is a walking miracle, and I have another thing to be thankful for!  Watching miracle upon miracle unfold with our Mafia mission has taught me one key thing... Miracles follow motion. If I had waited until I felt qualified, Move-In Day Mafia would not exist, and 109 students at 28 HBCUs would not have received decked-out dorm rooms. Mafia Miracle Maker, yes, I still get scared. I still feel unprepared. I still question whether I am the one for this assignment. But I keep moving anyway. And when you move, God starts revealing resources you did not know existed. He starts sending people you did not even know to ask for. He starts turning whispers into wins and closed doors into VIP entrances. So, as we are officially into the holiday season, this message is not just about me. It is about you. If there is something God has been nudging you to do. Something you keep telling yourself you are not ready for. Something that feels bigger than your budget, your background, or your confidence. It's time. Start small. Start messy. Start scared. Just start. And watch God show out. Now… speaking of miracles showing up… Giving Tuesday is on the horizon, December 2nd, and we are kicking off a campaign that makes me cackle every time I say it out loud: #KeepTeeJOffThePole. Yes, that is the name, because if we do not lock in long-term, predictable funding, your girl might have to twirl for tuition and body roll for basic needs.😜 Our goal: 1000 monthly Mafia Miracle Makers by the 2026 move-in season, so we can plan for new scholars at more HBCUs. Whether you have $3 or $300 or $3000 to commit to as a monthly seed into the upcoming move-in season, could you please consider your budget? Every level of support says you believe miracles are still in motion for our scholars. Join the movement here: 👉 MoveInDayMafia.org/Donate and select the monthly option. When you back a divine assignment, God multiplies the miracle. Happy Thanksgiving weekend, Mafia Miracle Maker. I am truly thankful for you Hug yourself for me, and as always, like, comment, and share!  Mafia Miracle Makers! Last week, we talked about a divine airport meetup with one of our Clark Atlanta babies who had just been crowned Homecoming Royalty. Well this week, we are gonna keep the sunshine coming cuz the royalty theme continues. Only now, we are headed to Prairie View A&M. But first...if you are new here... I'm TeeJ Mercer, and I have the distinct honor to be the founder of Move-In Day Mafia, a "mob" of folks who come together to provide dorm room, makeovers and monthly care packages for HBCU students who have aged out of foster care or are unhoused. And to date, we've moved in 109 students at 28 HBCUs since 2022! With that said... Meet BN, one of our Prairie View A&M University scholars. BN has spent her life learning how to survive storms she didn’t create. From the time she was little, chaos was her normal. Her mother’s addiction meant nights alone, strangers in the house, and the kind of fear no child should know. She was placed in foster care again and again. Each time, she had to start over. New home. New rules. New people. And still, she kept getting back up. By the time she reached high school, BN had already lived in more houses than she had birthdays. But she never let that be her ending. She studied hard, earned her Certified Nursing Assistant license before graduation, and set her eyes on college…determined to build the kind of stability she’d never known. Then, just when she thought life might finally settle, she discovered her mother had been committing identity fraud in her name. Her credit? Destroyed and her peace stolen. The very person who gave her life was now taking FROM it. BN could’ve given up right there. But she didn’t. She’s now a junior studying Health Science and Biology, working as a medical assistant, and believing that she can change lives through medicine. She wants to make sure no one else feels the kind of neglect she’s known. And this year, the same young woman who grew up without a safety net walked across campus wearing a crown… BN WAS CROWNED QUEEN OF THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AND ALLIED HEALTH AT PRAIRIE VIEW A&M. The same young woman who grew up without stability has now earned a crown! How's that for us Mafia Miracle Makers, giving them the support they need to thrive? The Kind of Support You Cannot Buy Last week, I was in Hollywood cheering as my friend Sherri Shepherd received her star on the Walk of Fame. This week, I’m in New York celebrating her 500th episode of her talk show.  I was there for Episode 1 when this was only a dream, and I cannot tell you what it feels like to still be by her side as she walks it out.  But let me tell you what I love most about her. Right now, I’m literally sitting at her kitchen table writing this newsletter while she asks me about our Mafia scholars. She wants the updates. She wants to know which babies are struggling. She wants to know where the gaps are. And while she’s sipping her tea, she’s also helping me problem-solve. Now that is a friend. And while the world knows her for making them laugh, let me remind you… This woman has been putting skin in the game for Move-In Day Mafia from the beginning. She went on Celebrity Jeopardy and brought home $30,000 for our babies, even though she will be the first to tell you Jeopardy is not her ministry. She also played Celebrity Family Feud against Shaquille O’Neal and won another $25,000 for us. She's never had to meet a single student in order for her to fight for them. That is who she is. She believes in what Mafia stands for. She believes in our scholars. She believes in the miracles we get to witness. So while Hollywood celebrates her for the actress, comedian, author, and talk show queen she is… Mafia celebrates her for the heart she carries and the doors she opens for our babies. 500 EPISODES YALL! 500! Adopt A Scholar Week Is In Full Swing Today is the final day of Adopt A Scholar Week, and you have been showing up big for our babies. We’ve seen so many thoughtful items added to dorm rooms and daily life this month. Some requests made me smile extra big because you can feel the personality behind them. A few that stood out: • Starch Apparently crisp creases still matter. Meanwhile, I haven’t plugged in an iron since Obama was in office...the first time!  • Hot Chips Care Package I had never heard of such a thing...All hot chips...HOT Doritos. HOT Takis. HOT Cheetos.  • 52-Piece Tool Kit Prepared. Handy. Independent.  If something breaks in that dorm, she is the maintenance crew. • Kitchen Knives A student with ambition. Maybe a chef. Or maybe just tired of plastic utensils. • Winter Coats and Scarves and Boots Because this cold weather don’t play, and neither do we...about our scholars. • Welch’s Fruit Snacks And more Welch’s Fruit Snacks. And then another 12-pack of Welch’s Fruit Snacks. Look… dreams come in all sizes… and sometimes they are gummy. These lists aren’t random. They are their real lives, real needs, and real comforts. If you haven’t had a chance to shop yet, please do by the end of the day, the 21st. And if you are short on time or hate shopping like me, just grab one of the Visa gift cards or donate. I'm just happy to have you a part of the family. 👉 MoveInDayMafia.org/AdoptAScholar Let’s close this month wrapped in generosity.  Every month, when our scholars turn in their request forms, we ask, "What are you excited, thankful, or looking forward to?" Plus, we ask what challenges they are facing. Here are a few screenshots straight from their mouths. GOOD NEWS 
  Back in 2020, the day I was leaving LA to move to Atlanta, Sherri Shepherd stopped by my house and we went to breakfast.  My friend was frustrated. Tired of getting told no. A couple of decades later, she was tired of waiting for gatekeepers to decide her dream was worthy. After being one of the hosts on "The View," having her own talk show was the ultimate desire of her heart, but every door seemed locked. So this day, I asked her one question that shifted everything. "Why are you waiting for permission? You already have everything you need. Just start talking. Launch a podcast." A few weeks later, she texted me a logo. Two Funny Mamas Podcast. A podcast she launched with Kym Whitley. A podcast that led to multiple NAACP Image Awards! They showed up. They talked. They built a vibe. And guess what? Honing her chops on that podcast opened up guest-hosting opportunities on daytime TV. Those guest spots opened more eyes. And that opened the door for her ultimate dream. Fast forward to today. My girl is an Emmy-winning talk show host with her own national television show that just celebrated 500 episodes. All because she decided to stop waiting… and start moving. Sometimes the miracle will not introduce itself until after you take the first step. You start. Then God multiplies. Do what you can with what you have. Give your faith something to grab onto. Show up like the resources already exist. Because when you move, miracles move too. See you next week Mafia Miracle Maker. And don't forget, today, the 21st is the last day to grab items to wrap November's Adopt A Scholar week. MoveInDayMafia.org/AdoptAScholar Thank you for EVERYTHING.  Hey Mafia Miracle Makers, This week is a bit tough but because we are family, I tell you the good, bad, and the heartbreaking. So first, I’m gonna tell you about a miracle meetup that brought the biggest smile to my face on Wednesday. Oh… wait… if you are new here. I’m TeeJ, and this is a newsletter all about Move-In Day Mafia, a nonprofit I founded to provide decked-out dorm rooms for HBCU students who have aged out of foster care, are unhoused, or grapple with severe financial hardships. We have moved in 109 scholars at 28 HBCUs and currently are actively taking care of 60 students. Now… back to my meetup. As I told you in the last edition, I live in Atlanta now, but I went back home to Los Angeles to watch my friend and Mafia’s celebrity ambassador, Sherri Shepherd, get her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I ended up spending nearly a couple of weeks at home because I changed my flight. Changing my flight is a key detail for you to appreciate the setup. Another key deet you should know… Looooooong before Mafia’s hashtag, “IBelieveInMiraclesForMoveInDayMafia,” I walked in miracles and divine alignments. So much so that whenever I’m out alone, I always whisper a prayer for God to guide me to where to sit if I have a divine assignment. There I was. At the LA airport on my new travel day. I had gotten there super early because of the TSA shortage, only to be surprised by an easy-peasy 10-minute security clearance. With so much time on my hands, I wanted to post up somewhere I could people watch and work. So I whispered a prayer for God to show me where to sit. I found a comfortable spot near an escalator and started working. About 15 minutes later, I hear… “Auntie TeeJ???” I looked up... and there was one of our Mafia babies from Clark Atlanta coming straight toward me, looking radiant and stunning. And you wanna know what was wild? I had just hit “send” on an email to HER mentor asking for a pic of her because… SHE WAS HOMECOMING ROYALTY FOR CLARK ATLANTA LAST MONTH!!!! If you aren’t familiar with HBCU culture, know THAT IS A BIG FREAKING DEAL. And here she was… standing right in front of me...in Los Angeles!  I jumped up so fast… well, as fast as I could with my injured knee… and hugged her tight. Turns out she’d come home to the West Coast for her aunt. And I was able to get a pic from her directly.  Look at her. She’s radiant. To go from being emancipated from her parents… to living on her own her last two years of high school… to now being Homecoming Royalty… yeah… miracles. Miracles that your support helps make. Now… the Part That Broke Me This Week: Sweetpea Miracle Makers… here is where the week got heavy. Real heavy. The kind of heavy that you feel in your chest. A few weeks ago, I asked for help decorating one of our scholar’s bathrooms because her doctor required her to have her own private space. That scholar was Sweetpea. What I did not tell you then is the part that still hurts to type. Sweetpea’s trauma began before she even knew what the world was. Her mother, trapped in addiction, sold her as a little tot to men. A baby, y’all. A baby. She contracted HIV at 5 years old, and because her mother never told her, she did not learn about it until she was 16. She survived CPS. She survived homelessness. She survived watching her father be murdered right in front of her. That trauma pushed her to major in Criminal Justice because she wanted to solve the kind of cases that left her father forgotten and still unsolved. She is the same child who tracked down my personal cell number during move-in season and called me at midnight when she first heard about Mafia. Why? Because she had been dropped off at her HBCU in an Uber. No family. No support. No safety net. Just a dream. She fought to stay in class through seizures. She fought for normalcy. She fought for joy. She fought for life. And then last week… we got the call. Because it was untreated for so long, her HIV has progressed to full AIDS. Suddenly. Aggressively. Her twenty-year-old body cannot handle the fight alone anymore. She is being moved to hospice. At Twenty. And as if that was not enough, her mother, still deep in addiction, did some things so cruel and hurtful that they still make my stomach turn. Things I would never repeat out loud. We moved in a pregnant freshman last year. Her mother told her, “I hope you and your baby die.” Yes. Her own mother said that. I thought I had heard it all… until I heard Sweetpea's mother. Unbelievable. When my team and I learned of Sweetpea's new reality. We cried. We prayed. We sat in silence because sometimes there are no words. But here is what grabbed me by the heart… Sweetpea has never had a birthday cake. Not a single one. So we fixed that this week.  If breath is still in Sweetpea's body, she will taste joy. She will feel loved. She will know she mattered. This is why Move-In Day Mafia exists. Admittedly, when I started Move In Day Mafia, I had no clue this was where the road would lead. I thought I was signing up for dorm rooms, décor, and a few Amazon essentials. But God has shown me that “essentials” has a whole different meaning for the babies we serve. Essentials sometimes means safety. Sometimes means sanity. Sometimes means survival. And some days, like today... It means holding a story so heavy it makes your knees buckle. Because today, November 14th, kicks off our monthly #AdoptAScholar Week, we have made a special wishlist just for Sweetpea. She's asked for a wheelchair so she can be rolled out for fresh air and we are including $25 gift cards so she can choose whatever brings her a smile… pizza, DoorDash, a movie, treat, anything that softens the days ahead. So this month, if your heart is tugging for Sweetpea specifically, you can go to MoveInDayMafia.org/AdoptAScholar and click on "Sweetpea’s Special Care List." ADOPT A SCHOLAR WEEK STARTS TODAY Today kicks off November’s Adopt A Scholar Week, and I want to give you a heads-up because things will look a little different. Some of our scholars will have their usual Amazon wishlists. But several others will have gift card-only lists. Why? Because we are heading into the holidays, which means many of our babies will be couch surfing, bouncing between relatives, staying with mentors, or simply unsure where they will be. When a student does not have a stable address, gift cards are the safest and most reliable way to support them. Just like this past Summer Survival Season, Visa gift cards let them buy food, toiletries, transportation, or whatever else gives them relief during the instability of break. The heart is the same. The needs are real. And every single purchase matters. If you are joining us for November’s Adopt A Scholar Week, everything has to be purchased by the 21st. There is your starting point: 👉 MoveInDayMafia.org/AdoptAScholar Some weeks, family, the biggest miracle is that we’re still standing at all. I’m not gonna pretend I have a hype word or a clever nugget today. I don’t. This week has been heavy, and I’m letting it be heavy. Sometimes existing is the assignment. Sometimes the holiest thing you can do is breathe, feel what you feel, and not apologize for it. We live in a world that loves to rush past pain… wrap it up pretty… sprinkle a little glitter on it… and call it “resilience.” But real healing? Real strength? It means you go through the feelings, not around them. So if this week has knocked the wind out of you too, let this be your permission: Sit with it. Feel it. Honor it. Don’t numb it. Don’t sprint past it.  Hey Mafia Miracle Makers! Baaaaaaaby, what a week! My heart is still grinning! Our very own loudest Mafia celebrity ambassador and my sister-friend of nearly 25 years, Sherri Shepherd, got her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this past Monday!!!!!!  Just typing that sentence still gives me the chills...it was a moment over 30 years in the making...watching dreams come true. Now you know I lived and worked in Hollywood for 25 years. I’ve been on sets, attended premieres, and walked red carpets. I’ve seen the glamour, and I’ve edited more A-listers than I can count. But this one? This one hit different. Because I remember when that star was just a dream Sherri whispered out loud years ago. To be there, listening to Tyler Perry and Niecy Nash talk about her God-given light and then watching her name be unveiled, I couldn't stop the tears.  And to make it even sweeter, I wasn’t just watching from the crowd. I was seated front and center with my fellow Sunshine Queens, with my name printed on a reserved seat right there on Hollywood Boulevard.   Now, if I tell you something, you promise not to laugh or disown me? My reserved seat put me right behind music icon...legendary drummer...the Glamorous Life queen, Sheila E! Well, here's the part that might cause you not to want to be seen in public with me. I leaned forward to introduce myself and thank her. Years ago, for my mom's Wanda Mercer master's graduation party, Sherri got Ms. Sheila to record a congratulations video where she played drums and sang Glamorous Life directly for Mama. Since perimenopause got me carrying a personal fan around everywhere, when I leaned over towards Ms. Sheila... Yall... My fan's blades got caught in her ponytail. I Was Mortified! I started apologizing and explaining profusely as I was trembling, trying to untangle it, and ultimately had to just pull some of her hair out. 🤯🤯🤯🤯 Mor-ti-fied! Fortunately, she was totally cool about it.  Look closely. You can see the hair in the fan after I got it untangled. LawdHamMussyGeezus ... The predicaments I get myself into. It was still an incredible day! The Sunshine Queens Shine Bright A few weeks before her big day, I popped up at Sherri’s Atlanta book signing for her new children’s book, Sunshine Queens.  Now, I already knew she’d dedicated the book to a group of us, her real-life Sunshine Queens, but she flipped the script when she talked about how our friendship had blessed her. Right there in front of the whole crowd, she shared stories from our 25-year sisterhood and made sure the audience knew about Move-In Day Mafia. It reminded me why she’s the truest kind of friend...the one who never misses a chance to shine light on someone else’s purpose. And when I saw that beautiful dedication page where she named me, I felt every bit of her love and generosity. So yes, I proudly added #SunshineQueen to my list of monikers.  And if you have a daughter whom you want to teach the joy of sisterhood, be sure to grab a copy of Sunshine Queens! The Jeopardy “Loss” That Was Really a Win And you know we have to talk about Sherri’s other kind of history-making moment. Yep, our girl officially went down as one of the lowest-scoring winners in Celebrity Jeopardy history. But here’s what most people don’t know: she knew going in she wasn’t going to do well. She’s the first to admit Jeopardy isn’t her ministry. She played anyway. Why? Because she knew that just for showing up, Move-In Day Mafia would receive $30,000.  So while social media was laughing at the scoreboard, I was shouting hallelujah because she was playing for our babies. And as if that wasn’t enough, she later played Celebrity Family Feud for us too, where she was up against NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal...and walked away with $25,000!  That’s Sherri. When she believes in you, she shows up. And when she shows up, she goes all out. Her heart is big, her giving is quiet, and her belief in people is loud. Double Miracles: A Star and a Stage After celebrating Sherri’s star all day, I got home that night, kicked off my sparkly Chucks, and opened my email. Right there waiting for me was a message saying my TED Talk had just gone live on the site! THE SUPERPOWER WE'VE BEEN TAUGHT TO HIDE  Only God could line it up like that on the same day...one of my dearest friends being honored for her light, and me being released to share mine on the same day. You can check it out here! That’s divine alignment at its finest. Monday was a goooooooood day Mafia Miracle Maker!  GOOD NEWS  CHALLENGES   Standing there on Hollywood Boulevard watching Sherri get her star, I couldn’t help but think about where she started.
There was a time when my friend was unhoused, couch surfing, and taking the bus to auditions. There was a time when she had to crawl through her car window just to drive to work. There was a time when she was told “no” so many times that quitting might’ve made sense. But she didn’t quit. Even through eviction notices, heartbreak, and seasons that felt impossible, she kept showing up. She kept believing. She kept working her dream while waiting on her miracle. And now, her name is literally carved into the streets she used to walk, dreaming of the day she’d belong there. It hit me deep because that’s my dream story too. I was that little country girl from Jackson, Tennessee, who used to walk that same street during my very first internship in Hollywood. I’d look down at those stars, wondering if I’d ever get to be part of the stories behind them. Twenty-five years later, I can say I did. So if you’re tired, if you’re questioning whether your yes still matters, let me remind you of something. It’s not about how fast you get there, it’s about refusing to quit on the way. Sherri’s story is proof that no season disqualifies you when you stay in motion. You may need to pause, pivot, or catch your breath, but don’t you dare quit. Your star moment may not be on a sidewalk, but it’s already on Heaven’s calendar. Keep going until God pulls back the curtain and lets the world see what He’s been building in you all along. Alright Mafia Miracle Maker...Have a great weekend. Don't forget to comment. Plus! You can always donate at MoveInDayMafia.org/Donate And again...you can check out my Ted Talk at https://special.teejmercer.com/TeeJTedTalk |
AuthorTEEJ MERCER - TeeJ never set out to be an entrepreneur. She definitely didn’t plan to run a nonprofit. But after 25 years in Hollywood, editing and producing for major TV shows and movie studios, she saw a story that needed to be told. More importantly, she saw a PROBLEM that needed to be solved. Archives
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